


A Familiar Face

by honestgrins



Series: Round and Round [7]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 11:25:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10216946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: Day 7 - Ideal Endgame Scene: A year, a century, what was time to an immortal? For Caroline, forty years meant love, laughter, fear and grief. With her daughters grown, she's ready to stop playing it safe and to go looking for the adventures the world once promised.





	

She had forgotten how lonely it could be, the fate of a vampire. At home, the girls knew exactly who she was and what that meant - but they couldn't possibly understand the weight of outliving such a phase in her life. Humans went through a handful of these complete shifts, but Caroline was realizing she would have to do this over and over again until she met the wrong end of a pointy stick.

Having buried both Stefan and Alaric years before and signed the Bennett School over to Josie and Lizzie, Caroline decided to take a well deserved retirement trip around the world for her sixty-fifth birthday. She had left a week earlier, kissing the girls at the airport. "I love you, call me every day."

"Every week," Josie promised sternly, onlookers probably confused to see a young woman asking her mother to call every day.

Because Caroline didn't look her nearly sixty-five years; she didn't look a day over seventeen, and she never would. It was a realization that came in waves, one that hit her again as she flew over the Atlantic to South Africa. The list of postcards and souvenirs she had planned to buy was much too short for someone of her age, but everyone had died or moved on with their very human lives.

The girls, obviously, would receive the brunt of her gifts. Matt never cared for her messages, and Elena didn't even know who Caroline was anymore. Some of the school's students kept in touch, but it wasn't the same.

She was always missing the people she loved, and she wanted someone to miss her.

Shaking her head, Caroline glanced around the plane to distract herself from the morose thoughts. Brass curls caught her attention, but she turned to her book before she could let herself wonder why.

* * *

His lips were so pink.

Caroline wasn't drunk enough to get lost in such an observation; still, she couldn't help staring at the guy trying to talk her up. It was probably her fault for grabbing a drink in the hotel bar, where most people were just trying to get laid. She wasn't looking for companionship, though, merely some human interaction to mask her loneliness.

The guy was cute enough, just not to Caroline's taste. _But those lips._ She found herself frowning as she tried to figure out why she felt so strangely attracted to a man's mouth and nothing else.

"Anyway," he said in his Australian accent, shoving his hands into his pockets as he gauged her reaction. "Want to get out of here?"

That finally jerked Caroline back to awareness, unable to hide the mean laugh that bubbled out of her mouth. "No," she answered more politely. "I'm good here, thanks."

Grumbling, he left her alone at the bar once more.

Caroline swiped her tongue across her lips, wondering just what she wanted to get from this trip. While she would have never given the slick smooth-talker a chance, was she even looking for that kind of adventure? So focused on the school and Josie's kids, she'd hardly given consideration to the fact she had a long eternity to go. Picking up a guy in the hotel bar didn't scream 'spend the rest of your life with me,' but it didn't have to be forever.

It had been so long since she had even thought about dating. Stefan wanted her to be happy, and Lizzie had tried to get her on a dating website. Though Caroline had automatically disregarded the idea, she knew better than to shut off the possibility of meeting someone new.

Taking another shot of tequila, she only had one thing to say about that. "Not tonight," she muttered to herself.

* * *

The plan for South Africa was a conservation excursion with local scientists, and Caroline was armed with her fancy camera to take excellent photos of the animals for her grandkids. Josie was the green thumb of the family, so she also wanted to get plenty of information on the vegetation and how it was cultivated - education had become a vital part of the Forbes-Saltzman vacation experience.

Her excursion guide had an unfortunately dull voice, but Caroline was too enthralled with the scenery to care much. She snapped photos left and right the whole time; it wasn't until the guide accidentally crossed her camera's path that she paused to check the display. Whatever the good doctor had been laughing at, Caroline didn't know, but she grinned so widely that dimples cut deep into her cheeks.

For some reason, Caroline was struck by the sight.

The moment passed quickly as a dazzle of zebras galloped past their Humvee. Gasping at their powerful leaps, she brought her camera up to document the moment.

* * *

"Would you like to come to a party with us?" The older couple had been kind to her throughout the week's excursions, their cultured personalities something like a fascination for Caroline to soak up. They'd taken a shine to her genuine enthusiasm and witty observations, and she loved how much they made her laugh. This was that she had pictured on a world tour, picking up fashionable friends and making pleasant relationships with interesting people. The wife, Sita, watched her excitedly as she considered the invitation.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline smiled. "What party?"

"I have a business associate in the area," Abram explained, his hand affectionately toying with Sita's ponytail. "He's hosting a small fundraiser for his daughter's school. I assure you, Sita already wrote a check three times larger than necessary, so you wouldn't have to give a thing."

"Don't mind him, he's just angry my stock portfolio had better returns this month," Sita teased. "But really, you must come."

Caroline fidgeted under their earnest gazes. "I don't want to be a burden," she admitted, "but I organized a number of school fundraisers in my day and would love to donate."

Laughing, Sita nudged her playfully. "In your day… You're making us old folk feel even older, Caroline."

As Caroline's smile fell at the unsubtle dig at her apparent age, she knew Sita didn't mean anything by it. She had no idea that Caroline was much older than she looked. It was harmless fun.

Harmless, though she found herself brushing away a tear when Abram distracted his wife with another information packet he seemed to enjoy collecting. Friends were important, even if they would never know the real her; Caroline would just have to enjoy the time she had with them.

She hoped one day she could hope for something more lasting.

* * *

The gorgeous villa was larger than Caroline had expected, and she just stared in awe as their cab drew closer. "What kind of business is this associate in? Because they must be loaded to afford all this."

Abram chuckled. "He's a bit of a mystery, I'm afraid, though I know he has diverse interests all over the world," he explained, opening the door to let himself out and the women followed suit. "South Africa was a new venture for him, but he seems to have set himself up nicely in the last year or so."

"And he's handsome," Sita added with a suggestive arch of her eyebrows. "A catch for any single girl."

"Oh, I'm m-" Once again, Caroline felt the aching realization that she was a single girl. And despite her promise to remain open to opportunities, she wasn't prepared for one to come so soon. "I'm not really in the market right now."

"Talking real estate already, Abram?" A new and maddeningly familiar voice joined them in the driveway, and Caroline turned to find Klaus Mikaelson striding toward them. "And I see you've brought a guest."

Smirking, Klaus slid to a stop before her and reached for her hand. He brought it to his lips with that infuriating glint of triumph in his eyes. "Hello, Caroline."

Struck silent by the shock of his presence, Caroline was jostled by Sita's enthusiastic greeting. "What a small world, Klaus. How do you know our Caroline?"

With a too charming smile, Klaus held Sita and Abram's shoulders still so he could maintain intense eye contact. "Go inside and join the party, Caroline will find you if she pleases," he compelled.

As the couple obediently entered the villa, Caroline crossed her arms in irritation and very nearly stomped her foot. "What the hell, Klaus?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it's lovely to see you, too." His smirk melted into that bashful smile she hadn't seen in decades. "Are you enjoying your visit?"

Something in his tone hit Caroline's ear oddly; he seemed too prepared to see her. Lizzie was the one to suggest South Africa, and Josie organized the excursion as an early birthday present, but surely… "What," she hissed, "did you do?"

"Come in," he said, unconcerned. "I'll pour some champagne, only the best for your birthday party."

"Klaus-"

"Please." Klaus held out his arm, eyes much too innocent for the man himself. "I just...missed you. I thought it was about time to meet again."

Sighing, Caroline could actually feel her resolve crumbling. She reluctantly placed her hand in the crook of his arm, allowing him to lead in her inside. Damn, if his soft spot for birthdays wasn't adorable.

"So, did you trick my daughters into getting me here, or were they complicit in this little setup?"

Klaus just shrugged as they walked toward the refreshment bar, couples dancing and chatting in the next room. "Josie and Lizzie were none the wiser, they just wanted to give their mother a good birthday present," he promised. "Hope, however, was indeed complicit in sharing the details of said gift and your itinerary."

"I knew I shouldn't have hired a Mikaelson, even if she is the only normal one in the bunch," Caroline muttered.

Staffing a magic school required delicate inquiries, and it was her own fault that she reached out to Klaus for witchy contacts she and Alaric didn't have when they first reopened the Armory as the Bennett School. Though Hope was never a student, she joined their teaching roster as soon as she could. Caroline tried not to bond with her, really, but it was just impossible.

The only condition was that she couldn't bring her father's grudges to the school; children were not collateral damage. For twenty years, Hope had easily complied.

It seemed that Caroline's luck had run out.

Klaus popped a fancy bottle of champagne, smiling when she automatically reached for her glass. "Hope is exceptional," he corrected, "but I digress. Presumptuous as I know you're dying to call me, I didn't want you to spend the day alone."

"It's not my birthday," she burst out, incredulous that this was really happening. Her shout drew a few glances, so she sipped mulishly at her drink. "Not until Saturday."

Chuckling to himself, Klaus looked down to his toes. "I couldn't wait," he admitted.

Her challenging glare lessened as Caroline noted the familiar curls of his brass hair, the pink of his lips, and the deep dimples daring her to be angry. "You are presumptuous," she pointed out, though she also grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the dancers. "What happened to waiting, 'however long it takes?'"

They were swept up into the grand waltz playing, and Caroline felt lighter than air. She wasn't sure if it was the bubbles or the hybrid, but she didn't hate it.

Even better, the warm presence of his hand reminded her that she didn't have to feel it alone. This friend, or whatever he was, this one she could keep.

 _Forever_.


End file.
